Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-02-02
THE INTER STATE COMMERCE BILL.

THE INTERSTATE COMMERCE BILL.
The following is synopsis of the Inter-
State Commerce bill passed by both houses
of Congress:
Its first section applies to the provisions
of the Act to any common carrier engaged
in the transportation of passengers wholly
by railroad or partly by railroad and partly
by water when both are used under COM
mon control, management or arrangement
through more than one State or Territory,
or from any place in the United States to
adjacent foreign country. 1t defines the
term "railroad'' to include all bridges and
ferries used or operated by any railroad.
All charges made for any service rendered
in the transportation of passengers or prop
erty shall be reasonable and just, ana every
unjust and unreasonable charge Tor sucn ser
vice is prohibited and declared to be un-
lawful.
Section makes it unlawful for any COM
mon carrier subject to the provisions of this
Act to charge, demand, collect or receive,
directly or Indirectly, from any person or
persons, greater or less compensation for any
service rendered in the transportation of
passengers or property than it charges, de-
mands, collects or receives from any other
person or persons for doing for him or them
like and contemporaneous service in the
transportation of like kind of traffic under
substantially similar circumstances and con-
ditions.
Section makes it unlawful for any com
mon carrier, subject to the provisions of this
Act, to make or give any undue or unrea-
sonable preference or advantage to any par
ticular person, company, firm. corporation
or locality, or any particular description OF
traffic. Every common carrier subject to
the provisions of this Act shall, according
to theirrespective powers, afford reasonable,
proper and equal facilities for the inter-
change of traffic between their respective
lines, and for receiving, forwarding and de-
livering of passengers and property to ana
from their several lines and those connect
ing Herewith, and shall not discriminate in
their rates and charges between such con-
Meeting lines.
Sections and Qong and short haul and
pooling sections) are as follows:
Section T. That it shall be unlawful for
any common carrier subject to the provls-
ions of this Act to charge or receive any
greater compensation in the aggregate for
the transportation of passengers or of like
kind of property under substantially similar
circumstances and conditions for a shorter
than for longer distance over the same
line in the same direction, the shorter being
included within the longer distances, but
this shall not be construed as authorizing
any common carrier within the term OF this
Act to charge and receive as great compen-
sation for shorter as for longer distance:
Provided, however, that upon application
to the commission appointed under the pro-
visions Of this Act, such common carrier
may in special cases, after investigation by
the commission, be authorized to charge
less for longer than for shorter distances for
the transportation of passengers or proper
ty, and the commission may, from time to
time, prescribe the extent to which such
designated common carrier may be relieved
from the operation of this section Of the
Act.
Section 5. That it shall be unlawful for
any common carrier subject to the provis-
ions of this Act to enter into contract,
agreement or combination with any other
common carrier for the pooling of freights
of different competing railroads to divide
between them the aggregate or net proceeds
of the earnings of such railroads, or any
portion thereof; and in any case of an agree
ment for pooling of freights as aforesaid,
each day shall, be deemed a separate Of
fence.
Section requires that after ninety days
from the passage of the Act every common
carrier subject to its provisions shall have
printed, and keep for public inspection
schedules shOWingits rates, fares and charg-
es, and in addition to requiring the railroads
to give them publicity at all the depots on
their several lines, it gives authority to the
commission, where it is proper and neces-
sary, to require them to give publicity to
their rates to other places beyond the lines
of their several railroads. 1t also provides
that rates, fares and charges shall not be
raised except after ten days of public notice,
but they may be reduced without previous
public notice. Notice, however. shall be
simultaneous with the reduction itself.
Section makes it unlawful for any COM
mon carrier to enter into any combination
or agreement to prevent the carriage Of
freights from being continuous from the
place of shipment to the place of destina-
tion.
Section s provides that any common car
rier violating the provisions of the Act,
shall be liable to the person or persons in
jured thereby for the full amount of dam
ages sustained in consequence of any such
violation, together with reasonable coun-
sci or attorneys fee.
The ninth section provides that persons
claiming to have been damaged by the ac-
tion of common carriers may proceed, for
the courts of the United States or before
the Commission herein provided for, but
not before both tribunals.
The 10th Section makes it a penal offence
to violate any of the sections of this Act,
and puts the maximum of the fine which
may be imposed at the sum of S. 900.
Section II and the following sections
contain commission features of the bill.
They provide for commission to consist
of five persons, whose term of office shall be
for six years, except for first appointments,
which are to be for two, three, four, five and
six years. The members of this committee
are to be appointed by the President, by
and with the advice of the Senate. Their
principal office shall be in Washington,
but they may hold sessions at other places
than Washington, and single member of
the commission may take testimony any,
where as may be directed by the commits
sion. These commissioners have salaries
of 1900 each. The commission has power
to appoint secretary with an annual salary
of So, 800, and has authority to employ and
fix the compensation of such other en-
ployees as it may find necessary to the
proper performance of it's duties, subject
to the approval of the secretary of the In
terror.
Section % provides that nothing contain
ed in this act shall abridge the remedies
now existing at common law or by statute.
Section % appropriates 100000 for the
purposes of this Act, for the fiscal year end
ing June 3d. 1888.
Section "a provides that the provisions of
Sections II and Is of this Act relating to
the appointment and organization of the
commission herein provided for, shall take
effect Immediately, and the remaining pro-
visions of this act shall take effect sixty
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